Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

"Everyone in Zhaojia Village scolded her, saying that she would marry Zhao Shan instead of marrying a good man." Shi Xing did not want to recall the process of the murder, but he did not dare to resist, just like he did not dare to say a word when the Xue family humiliated his parents. "They all said that she must have ulterior motives for marrying Zhao Shan.

"I saw her always quarreling and fighting with the villagers. Her appearance when quarreling and fighting was exactly the same as Xue Jia's. I also saw that she always had a cold face towards the villagers, but she always smiled at Ma Dali, the cake seller in Qingshui Town. Every time Ma Dali came to Zhaojia Village to sell cakes, he would give her a few. Ma Dali's wife was also from Taojiazhuang, and she was a very good friend of Tao A'mei. She seduced Ma Dali behind her friend's back, she really deserved to die!

"Her father was dying, so I waited for her on the road from Zhaojia Village to Taojia Village. On the day her father passed away, I followed her to Taojia Village. I thought she would not return until dark, but unexpectedly, she came out of Taojia Village shortly after noon. She didn't mourn for her father, but rushed home in such a hurry. She deserved to die! When I saw her a little further away from Taojia Village, I immediately..."

Li Tianliu suddenly interrupted him, "How far is it?"

Shi Xing was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what he said.

Li Tianliu asked, "How far away was she from Taojiazhuang when you caught up with her?"

Chen Shao looked at him jokingly.

Li Tianliu asked again persistently.

Shi Xing didn't understand why he asked this, and answered anxiously, "About a mile."

Li Tianliu said calmly: "You can continue."

Ah Shao laughed silently.

Li Tianliu said disapprovingly: "Just keep talking if you're told to. Why are you just standing there?"

Shi Xing said anxiously, "After I caught up with her, I pretended to go to Wuzhu Village, and she got on the carriage. I asked her to eat rice cakes, but she said she had just eaten. I said the rice cakes were given to me by people from another village, and I didn't like them, so if she didn't want to eat them, I could only throw them away. She originally wanted to take them home, but I didn't agree, so she ate them. After she finished eating the rice cakes and passed out, I drove her to the haunted house in Wenhai Township and tied her hands and feet up with ropes.

"When she woke up, I saw that it was almost time, so I killed her. Afterwards, I cut open her stomach, took out her internal organs, stuffed them with stones, and took her back to Zhaojia Village. After throwing her on the slope, I went to Quyangpo. It rained a lot that day, and the water in Dafeng River rose too fast. I couldn't wash the car, so I had to paste the inside and outside of the car with mud, and then came back. The city gate was closed, and I waited outside the city all night. After dawn the next day, I returned the horse and drove the donkey cart to their yard."

While Chen Shao was remembering the key points in his words, he asked, "Is there anything else that you haven't explained yet?"

After thinking carefully for a while, Shi Xing replied, "No more."

Chen Shao raised his eyes and looked at him, "What do you want to say, is there anything?"

Shi Xing touched the ground with his head and said: "I killed the people. I plead guilty."

Chen Shao looked at Hu Lilan, "What about you? Do you have anything else to say?"

Hu Lilan was about to kowtow and say no, but for some reason he suddenly raised his head as if possessed by a ghost, and the moment he met her eyes, he said with a sudden inspiration: "Please make the decision for his grandfather, his grandmother, his father and his elder brother!"

Shi Xingsi just remembered this incident and quickly said, "My parents, elder brother and nephew were all harmed by the Xue family. Please, sir, make a decision for them!"

"It's not the Xue family," Hu Lilan said, "it's the Imperial College's Principal Gao Han and Dean Luo Zhengxin. They are the real culprits!"

Shi Xing was startled and looked at Chen Shao quickly. Seeing that she was not angry, he felt relieved.

Chen Shao said calmly: "How come they are the real culprits? Tell me about it?"

Shi Xing's heart skipped a beat again, and he was a little angry at Hu Lilan for looking for trouble. He had confessed everything he should have, and he had already pleaded guilty. He should be killed or cut into pieces, but she was the one who was meddling in other people's business! Gao Han and Luo Zhengxin could do such a thing, who knows if they had someone to rely on behind them? If they did, and they were not guilty in the end, what would they do if they wanted to take revenge on Shi Hui and Shi An? Shi Hui was a weak woman, and she was definitely no match for them.

Hu Lilan originally wanted him to speak, but after waiting for a while, he didn't say anything, so she had to speak up herself: "If Gao Han and Luo Zhengxin hadn't condoned it, how could the Xue family dare to treat his grandfather, his grandmother, his father and his eldest brother like that? When it comes down to it, it was them..."

Shi Xing whispered, "Stop talking."

Hu Lilan looked at him, saw the worry in his eyes, and immediately shut up.

Chen Shao looked at him, "Why, you don't want to avenge your parents, elder brother, and nephew?"

"No matter whether it was Gao Shanzhang and the others who condoned it or not," Shi Xing stuttered, "it was only the Xue family that killed my parents."

"Without the connivance of Gao Shanzhang and his men, how dare the Xue family do that to your parents?" Liu Deming, who had just sent the common people back, heard his words, his eyes blazing with anger, "And Master Shi, aren't you afraid that if you shield Gao Shanzhang and his men today, they will connive another Xue family in the future and harm another Master's parents and elder brother?"

What does it have to do with him? He is going to die! Shi Xing remained silent and did not answer.

Liu Deming was so angry that he pushed away Sun Qi's hand that was trying to stop him. He walked over to him and asked, "Even if you don't care about others, what about your children? Based on the accusations you have made against them in the past few days, do you think they will let them go?"

Shi Xing still didn't answer.

Hu Lilan lowered his eyes slightly to hide the disappointment in his eyes, and kowtowed, saying, "Sir, Gao Han and Luo Zhengxin, in order to have sex with Xue Meilan, did not hesitate to let Xue Meilan pretend to marry his second uncle, and even after his second uncle married Wu Tao, they took Wu Tao for themselves. This is obviously not the first or second time. How can such people be teachers and teach others? Please investigate them thoroughly!"

"Student Liu Deming also implores the Lord to thoroughly investigate Principal Gao Shan and Dean Luo, and restore order to the academy!" Liu Deming shook his clothes and knelt down.

Sun Qi, Tao Ming and others also entered the second hall one after another, and then knelt on the ground and said: "Students implore you to thoroughly investigate Gao Shanzhang and Luo Jianyuan, and restore order to the academy!"

"Everyone, get up," Chen Shao said calmly after looking at Shi Xing. "Since Gao Shanchang and Luo Linyuan are in the prison of the prefectural governor's mansion, it won't be easy for them to get out. Lord Ding, take them both away!"

Ding Lisheng, who had knelt down with Sun Qi and the others, quickly got up. After asking the yamen runners to take the two away, he asked tentatively, "What should we do with them? Please give me your instructions, sir."

"Don't worry, wait until we have collected all the evidence." Chen Shao neatly stacked the information he had written down, then handed it to him and said, "Write the confession according to his statement, and give it to me before noon tomorrow."

Ding Lisheng took it respectfully and went on with his business.

Chen Shao took two sips of tea and motioned to Chan Yi: "Go and bring the siblings out."